The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Astilbe plant, botanically known as Astilbe hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Pink Lightning`.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Noorden, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new Astilbe cultivars with glossy leaves and attractive flower color.
The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1993 of the Astilbe.times.Arendsii cultivar `Bressingham Beauty`, not patented, as the male or pollen parent, with the Astilbe simplicifolia cultivar `Jaqueline`, not patented, as the female or seed parent.
The cultivar `Pink Lightning` was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Noorden, The Netherlands.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by divisions harvested at Noorden, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Astilbe are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.